Research
Themes in Laser Material Processing

...
being carried out by the Laser Group at the University
of Liverpool
and the Lairdside Laser Engineering Centre

Laser Forming

Laser
forming is a non-contact technique for the shaping of
metallic sheet components.
It can be used for

rapid
prototyping of complex 3D shapes

adjusting
and aligning
remotely of components

The
mechanism of 2-D bending has been modelled using finite
element analysis.
Current work is considering the laser scan parameters
modeling and process control required for the formation
of more complex 3-D shapes.
An example of application is in the use of laser bending
to create on-board microactuators for the alignment of
microelectronic components.

A
study of the effect of the wavelength in the Q-switched
Nd:YAG laser cleaning of gilded wood

Dust
Removal from Next Generation Tokamaks by Laser and
Flashlamp Cleaning

More
papers on Laser Cleaning can be found here

Laser
Welding

Laser
Conduction Welding of Aluminium Alloys for increased pentration

Semi-quantitative
analysis of the LCW process

maximum
penetration depth is produced as a result of the competition
between the two processes; heat energy loss by boiling
and heat transfer by conduction

At
the critical spot size, when maximum penetration occurs,
there is just sufficient input to maintain the surface
at the boiling point. At larger sizes there is insufficient
absorbed energy intensity to maintain the surface
temperature at boiling. At smaller sizes excess energy
causes increased boiling

Example
of Laser Conduction Butt Weld

made
in 3mm thick Aluminium Alloy

using
YAG Laser

LC
Welds show higher fracture strength than Laser Keyhole
Welds in this material

Laser
ignition of air-fuel mixtures in the laboratory has
shown that improved ignition and kernal growth in
lean mixture may be possible, leading to an increase
in the lean burn limit by 1 to 3 air-fuel ratios (AFR's)
compared to conventional electric spark ignition

LASIIC
is investigating techniques for evaluating the practical
feasibility of these potential advantages with realistic
engineering constraints by applying laser ignition
in the latest generation of vehicle test engines

The
project is funded by the DTI / EPSRC Foresight Vehicle
LINK initiative and involves a consortium comprising
the University's Laser Group and IC Engines Group,
Ford Motor Company and Spectron Laser Systems